To Save Wizarding Britain
by dkerr
Summary: Pure Bloods and Muggle Borns populations drop and they must come together to save Wizarding Britain.


To save Wizarding Britain

DISCLAIMER. everything you recognize belongs to JK Rowling not me.  
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"No!" Ronald Weasley jumped from his seat so fast that his chair fell back against the wall and hit simultaneously as the palm of a hand slammed down on the table with a thunderous report. "We won the war. It's them who need to knuckle under. Not us." Angry eyes roved the table until they stopped on me "We can start by getting rid of that Slytherin Git."

"Fine," I said rising from my seat. "Not like I don't have anything better to do than save Wizarding Britain from your stupidity."

Which is why the interim Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, was meeting with the Order of the Phoenix at Grimmauld Place.

"Going to run," Ron sneered. "Like the rest of your Death Eater friends."

From the red faces of the rest of the Weasley clan they agreed with his sentiment.  
"Why not? You killed my family. I have nothing to stay for."

Well it wasn't the Weasleys that killed my family, not directly. The loss of their son hit them hard, and a Weasley, or two, could be found anywhere and everywhere in the Ministry pushing for harsh measures intended to eliminate the possibility of a Voldemort ever returning to power.

First there was the Confiscation Acts. Intended to strip Pure Bloods of their wealth and power. Then they passed a marriage law, forcing Pure Bloods to marry Muggle Borns.

Many a howler had told me that the Pure Bloods, especially the ones that listened when I persuaded them not to support the Dark Lord, felt betrayed. Many of them emptied their vaults, packed up what they could and moved out of the Ministry's jurisdiction. Some stayed, including my family, and fought when the Aurors showed up on their doorsteps. And when the Aurors finally gained entrance, they inevitably found the occupants, every man woman and child, dead.

That was when St Mungo's had released the news that had been the final straw. With the deaths during the war, the flight of the Pure Bloods after the war, Britain's Wizarding Population had fallen below extinction levels. It was believed that the current generation would be the last.

Weasley laughed bitterly. "It'll be like what we did didn't matter. Not even a little bit." Weasley righted his chair and sat down, his head in his hands. "Don't they know that we are dying? Don't they even care?"

"Oh they know," I said quietly, my words slicing through the silence that fell after Weasley's outburst.

"But..."

"Have you read the Marriage Act? They marry Muggle Borns they die. They don't marry Muggle Borns they die. Which ever way you look at it, the marriage law means the extinction of the Pure Blood Society in Great Britain. If they choose to enter that dark night pure and proud rather than by gasping in a Muggle Born's bed, or to leave a society that no longer wants them then I won't blame them." I sighed, realizing that they had no idea of how to climb out of the hole they have dug themselves into. "I have a few ideas, but they come at a price."

"What kind of price," Ron demanded.

"The Confiscation Laws are repealed instantly and any confiscated land, titles, and monies are returned to their rightful owners, or their heirs."

"See," Ron snorted. "He just wants his money back."

"The Minister will never agree," Percy said, bring a smirk to Ronald's face.

"Then this discussion is as dead as Wizarding Britain will soon be."

"Mr Weasley," Head Mistress McGonigal addressed Percy. "Will you present his ideas to the Minister?"

"Of course," Percy stuttered. McGonigal smiled grimly and turned to me. "If the Ministry agrees to this, will you talk to the Pure Bloods? Will that satisfy them?"

"Not hardly," I snorted. "But it's the first little step, and the least they will expect. Next, you'll have to repeal the Marriage Act."

"But how does that help," Granger asked. "It just puts us back where we were when the war ended. We'll still be dying. They won't want to have children with us. I'm not sure I'd want to have children with them."

"It puts us back," I agreed. "It'll also catch their interest. The next part is going to be difficult. And for that we need the Malfoy's, the Parkinson's, and the Bulstrodes."

That caused an uproar that was unlike anything that had ever witnessed before or ever would again. Everyone was talking or shouting at the tops of their lungs. I couldn't blame them. Finally, McGonigal let off a small explosive that silenced everyone.

"Your problem is that you need them to come back here and have little kidlets with you. After the Confiscation Acts and the Marriage Law, pretty please isn't going to work. You're going to have to persuade them and to do that you're going to have to talk to the people they look to for leadership. Right now most of that leadership is in Azkaban and you don't have the option of waiting for them to find new ones."

"The Malfoy's wouldn't..."

"They will listen to the, Malfoys before they will listen to you or to me."

Ms Granger raised her hand. "How does this address the population problem?" Every eye turned to me.

"We change the Marriage Law," I told them. "We eliminate any and all exemptions for any reasons whatsoever. Only married people will not be affected by it. Any marriages hastily arranged to get around this new Marriage Law will be declared null and void. All Pure Bloods will be required to marry a Muggle Born, or Half Blood. No Muggle Born or Half Blood will be allowed to marry other Muggle Borns or Half Bloods if there is a Pure Blood of marriageable age available."

"I don't see the difference," Potter said.

"The difference is that these survival marriages, for want of a better name, will last five years, or until they have produced one magical child. After which they may dissolve the marriage and are free to marry whom they wish. "If they produce two children, one male and one female, the terms of these marriages can be reduced."

"But that's outrageous," a shocked Granger burst out. "There'd be a lot of women with children they don't want, and a lot of children that aren't wanted by either of their parents."

"Don't worry," Ron cackled. The Malfoys will never agree to to such a crazy scheme." All eyes turned to Ron. They'd forgotten about that. "They'd never taint their blood."

A slow smile crossed Granger's face. "I'd pity the poor girl who had to marry him."

"Lucius Malfoy will taint his blood, temporarily at least, if it means continued Malfoy power and influence. He will see to it that draco Malfoy agrees to marry Hermione Granger."

In my head a countdown started..

"Just think. A marriage between a top War Heroine and the son of the Dark Lord's right hand man. That would be more convincing to all sides than a ton of honeyed words."

"But...," Granger stuttered.

The count down ended.

"NO!". A chair rocketed to the wall as a red faced Weasley leaped to his feet. She's not going to marry that Git."

"Mr. Weasley," McGonigal ordered. "Sit down." Instead of complying, Weasley stormed towards the door, nearly trampling Potter in his haste. "Mr. Weasley. Where are you going?"

"To Azkaban," he snarled. "Malfoy's gonna get the KISS. Today."

The door slammed behind him.

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The meeting sort of broke up after that exit, with Percy promising to speak with the Minister. Weasley never did make it to Azkaban and life pretty much got back to normal. At least for a while.

"Peter." I was being roughly shook awake. "Peter. Wake up."

"Okay. Okay. I'm awake." I rolled over to see Henry Wallace, a first year standing anxiously by my bed. "Whassup," I asked.

"It's Horace," Henry said, panic clearly in his voice. "He won't wake up. He's gonna be late if he don't wake up, an he won't wake up for me."

"Alright, alright." I swung my legs over the side of my bed, and stood up. "Let's go wake sleeping beauty up now." We padded down the rows of beds until it became quite clear why Horace Wallace had not woken up.

"He's dead innee?"

I knelt down beside the first year. "Hiram," I said a gently as I could. "I want you to go out to the Common Room and sit in the sofa If you see Daphne Greengrass, ask her to stay with you. Tell her I'll explain later. Don't go to classes."

"But..."

"Hiram, I need you to do this for me."

After he left, I made a quick examination of the body. I dared no use magic, nor touch anything, but everything pointed to Wallace having gone to bed just like he usually did every night. I didn't know much about him, and I wondered why I cared all that much. But without really thinking about it, I found myself pulling out his trunk from under his bed and rummaging through it for the diary he kept. Which was one of the few things I knew about him. I also found some memory vials. Slipping them into a pocket, I exited the room and sealed the door. I put the items into my own trunk before sending patronuses to Professor Slughorn and Head Mistress McGonigal.

After a long day of telling my story over and over again to HeadMistress McGonigal, Professor Slughorn, and various Aurors, I learned that my patronuses had caused quite a stir. Both Slughorn and McGonical were in the Great Hall when the twin rabbits burst into the room. And announced to one and all that Horace Wallace had been found dead in his bed and to come at once. After that announcement you could have heard the echoes of a pin drop, and the silence was ended with a loud whoop and a commotion at the Gryffindor table. Everyone looked to see a red faced Weasley picking his face out of his plate. "What did you do that for," he shouted at his sister.

"Didn't you hear," Ginny shouted back. "A boy is dead."

"Well so. It was one of them."

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"What are you here for?" Weasley glared red faced as I sat down at the Gryffindor table at breakfast the next morning. It was beginning to be a normal colour for him. I ignored him and smiled at Susan Jackson, who was seated across the table from me. She looked like she was going to be sick.

"Good Morning," I said as pleasantly as I could, while I put some bacon and eggs, toast and ja on the table. "Word has it that you hate Pure Bloods. Especially Slytherin Pure Bloods. Have I got that right?"

"You do," snorted the Weasel. "She's one girl that's got her head on straight. Right Sarah?"

"So I was wondering why you asked Wallace to marry you." The table grew extremely quiet except for the sound of choking going on beside me. "You know what I think," I asked. "I think you had no intention of marrying him. I think you learned of the conditions of the new marriage law and used it for your own sick purposes."

"Your lying," Sarah Jackson hissed, but the look on her face did more than confirm my theory."

"Wallace kept a diary," I told her calmly.

"And you believed his lies," Jackson sneered.

"He also stored his memories."

"My father was killed," Jackson cried.

"Your father was killed fighting in the war. The Wallaces were neutral. They stayed out of it. They did not kill your father."

"Doesn't matter," she hissed. "Someone had to pay." Anything else she had to say was interrupted by a firm voice.

"Mr. Morrison," I twisted to see a tight lipped McGonigal standing behind me. She was flanked by two Aurors. "That will be quite enough."

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"She should get a medal," I looked up to see a red faced Weasel glaring down at me. "Killing a Death Eater shouldn't be a crime." I looked back down at the essay I was writing, hoping that dense and stupid would take the hint and go bother someone else. No such luck. "You can forget about saving the world. We don't need you or them."

"Well you better find Hermione and get busy then." I still didn't look up. I could just imagine his face getting redder.

"Find me for what?" Hermione joined the conversation.

"Tall dense and red faced, here, says he doesn't need me, or the Pure Bloods, to help save the Wizarding Race."

"So, what does that have to do with me?"

"We need more babies. Without the Pure Bloods input, you're just going to have to start popping them out like pez dispensers." I looked up, marvelling at just how red Weasley's face could become. Especially now that Granger was glaring at it. "Well hop to it," I told them. "Lotsa babies to make and precious little time to do it in."

"Oh you'd just love that wouldn't you?" Susan Bones tromped up. Before that could become the topic of discussion, Weasley found his voice again.

"Yeah, we could do that," he said. ""But we don't have too." Weasley smirked. "I've been doing some research, and there's a way for them to help us and we don't even have to see them, or anything." The fact that Weasley had been doing some research wa enough to catch anyone's attention. He might have been better off if he'd kept his mouth shut. "Y'see the Muggles have this way of taking bits and pieces from one body and using them to get some one else pregnant. we don't have to marry them or anything." Weasley smirked as he waited for the expeccted praise.

"But what if they don't agree," Granger asked once the shock wore off.

"Then we give them the Kiss. That won't kill them and they won't be able to stop us from taking what we need."

The room echoed with the sound of that slap. It actually staggered Weasley and Granger was winding up for another blow when Weasley grabbed her arm. "What the hell was that for," he roared. "You'd think you want to marry that git."

"I'm not a brrod sow Ronald," the dimunative witch screamed. "You don't get to artificially inseminate me when ever you want to increase the herd."  
"But..." Weasley stared down at the girl.

"Let go of me." Not even Weasley was dense enough to ignore the warning behind that.

"That will be enough." we all turned to see Professor Snape standing behind us, having apparently snuck up on us. Weasley looked furious, and Granger was just red faced. "Ten points from Gryffindor and detention, Mr. Weasley for even suggesting such a thing. Another twenty points and another detention for manhandling a fellow student."

"But sir," Weasley started to protest.

"And fifty points to Miss Granger," he continued with a smirk. "For setting you straight."

"Mr. Morrison." Professor Snape turned to me. Obviously I was the reason he came over. "The Headmistress received an owl from the Ministry this morning. All raids against the Purebloods have ceased. The Minister has agreed to full restoration of lands titles and estates to those families that did not fight for the Dark Lord. Those that did will have sufficient funds removed from  
them to pay for the war. You are to leave for Azkaban in three days. Where you will speak with the Malfoys and the Parkinsons. You do not want to fail, Mr. Morrison. I will be most disappointed if you do.

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Azkaban Prison is not the nicest place in the world. A five storey triangular tower on a barren windswept rock of an island in the North sea. It had its effect on the Wardens and the Prisoners and not even Luscious, as he sat in bright orange prison robes, could escape that. Though I had to admit that if anyone could make them look dignified he could. "Well if it isn't the traitor," he sneered as the Warden left us. " what do I owe the pleasure of this visit."

"Your possible release," I told him.

That caught his interest. Malfoy tried to keep his face impassive but I caught the brief widening of his eyes. "My release," he repeated.

"You, Narcissa, and Draco will be released with certain conditions."

A silver eyebrow arched up. "Conditions?"

"Draco Malfoy must agree to marry Hermione Granger and bear two confirmed magical children with her."

"I see. And Miss Granger has agreed to this?"

"Nothing has been agreed to yet. I just needed to gauge your reaction. There will be other conditions but the marriage is not conditional. Draco either marries Granger or you die here."

"I will speak with Draco."

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"Why did you want to see me." Granger entered the empty classroom followed closely by Potter and Weasley. I glanced up at them, and closed the trext I was working on. "I have letters from some of the ex-pats," I said, meaning the Pure Bloods that had left for greener pastures. "They are willing to return but are not sure that this is not some trick on the Minister's part."

"Shacklebolt wouldn't..." Potter was always eager to jump to a friend's defense.

"They have accepted the broad terms of the agreement, but before they make the decision to return they want to see more progress."

"What kind of progress," Granger asked nervously.

"The announcement of your engagement to Draco Malfoy should be sufficient to prove our intentions."

"No," howled both Weasley and Potter. "That won't happen."

"But he called you the M word," cried Weasley. "He let Death Eaters into the Castle. He tried to kill Dumbledore."

"If he hadn't done that," I said, gathering their attention. "There is no way this would work." They just stared open mouthed at me.

"What," demanded three voices almost in unison.

"It shows that he cares."

This time they just stared.

"Think about it," I told them. "Malfoy isn't stupid. He must have known that there was no way that a sixth year boy could kill what was arguably the most powerful wizard of our time. He had to have known that Voldemort was using him to punish Lucius. That he wasn't supposed to live. Yet he did it anyway. Because it was the only way he knew to keep his parents alive."

Weasley snorted.

"They were Death Eaters," Potter growled. "They didn't deserve to be saved."

I looked at Potter. Really looked at him.

"I understand," I hissed, "that Granger obliviated her parents."

"That's different." Potter growled. "They were her parents. She had every right to protect them."

"And Draco did not?"

Potter glared at me. "No. He did not."

I sighed. "Please inform the Minister," I said slowly while gathering up my books and pushing them into my bag. "That I will no longer continue to try and save Wizarding Britain." I stood up and shouldered my bag. "I will owl the ex-pats and tell them that I have failed." I turned towards the door.

"So that's it," Potter sneered, "You're going to turn your back on us as well."

"I turned my back on what my family believed in in hopes that it would lead to a better world." I glared at Potter. "It seems that I traded one Dark Lord for another."

I left the room before anything else was said.

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"Peter wait..." I glanced around to see Granger running after me. "You have to understand..."

"Understand what Granger?" I turned to face her. "What do I need to understand? That Potter was placed in an impossible  
position? So was Draco Malfoy. So  
were a lot of us. Potter needs to  
understand that. None of us chose this. To say that some one had no right to try and save his parents makes him no better that The Dark Lord and just as bad."

"His parents were killed," Granger shouted at me.

"So were mine, my brothers and my sisters. He got to kill the bastard who killed his. I get to save the bastards who killed mine." I stalked closer to her and glared deep into her eyes. "Three days," I hissed. "Either you agree by then or we forget the whole thing.

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"I don't bloody believe it." Hermione Granger stood at the door way of the classroom Morrison had just left and stared. Inside Ron was waving his arms agitated while Harry looked thunderously at a parchment. Beyond them she could see an owl winging its way from the window. "What's going on," she asked. Both boys turned to gape at her.

"Dean Thomas and Seamus went to Spain," Harry explained. "They were supposed to bring back the Patil twins."

"Bring back..." Hermione asked.

"well why not," shouted Ron. "They're our girls. They should be here helping us."

"You can't just kidnap them Ron" said a horrified Hermione. she turned to Harry. "What happened?"

"Things got a little heated," Harry said. Hermione translated that to mean that wands had been pulled. "The Spanish Aurors got called and now Dean and Seamus are in custody."

"and Shacklebolt says he can't do anything to get them out," Ron shouted. "Can you believe that."

Hermione stared in shock. She'd suspected that something was going on, Harry and Ron were more tightlipped than usual. But this. She sank against the wall. "I'm going to have to marry him."

"What," asked a confused ron.

"Draco," Hermione said. "I'm going to have to marry him."

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"Mr. Morrison. Do you have any progress to report?"

It was a very dispirited group that met in Headmistress McGonigal's office that evening. The Spanish Ministry were determined to bring Dean Thomas and Seamus O Finnigan to trial. Shacklebolt had argued that they two were suffering from the effects of the war, but the Spanish weren't buying that. They viewed the kidnapping attempt as an incursion into their sovereignty and had gone so far as to swear out arrest warrants for Potter and Weasley. Both boys had gone pale at that bit of news, but were assured that the warrant didn't have any force outside of Spain.

"Miss Granger has agreed to marry Malfoy Junior. However that may no longer be enough." There was a murmur running around the table. "The marriage may have to take place before they agree to return and the ceremony has to be public and binding. Harry Potter will also have to marry Pansy Parkinson in a public and binding ceremony. Both marriages will have to be for life.

"Wait no." This time it was Ginny Weasley that voiced her displeasure. "Harry and I were supposed to be married. It was going to be hard enough waiting for five years while he was married and had kids with some Pure Blood Cow. But Parkinson and for life. That pug wanted to turn Harry over to Voldemort."

"Wouldn't the original idea of a five year marriage be enough," someone asked.

"I don't know maybe. I'll ask. But you'll need something dramatic to counter what just happened."

"Well it's not fair, I tell you." Molly Weasley glared at me. "They killed my Fred and you want to marry Harry and Hermione off to them. Where's the justice in that?" she sat back down. "It wasn't supposed to be like this."

"No it wasn't," I agreed. "There should have been a balance between Pure Bloods and Muggle Born. But in trying to ensure such an imbalance didn't happen again, you forgot the lesson you were trying to give them. Worse, you gave them the time to escape."

"Well, we won't make that mistake again."

"You'd be dead now if hadn't"

"what? They ran like a bunch of cowardly rats."

"I don't know about you Weasley," I snarled. "But I'd rather take on three Voldemorts in tandem than one cowardly rat with his back against the wall and no escape route." I was pleased to see that most of the other, saner, members agreed with me. "Now, can we get on it or does anyone care to waste more time wishing things had been done differently?"

"Very well This is the agreement that I will present to the Malfoy's. One, Draco Malfoy will marry Hermione Granger. On the day of their marriage, he will receive one half of the Malfoy fortune as well as the Malfoy Estate in Wiltshire, where he and Granger will live" I held up a hand to forestall the objections I could sense coming "This is a highly public political and symbolic marriage. They will have to live there for this to work. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy will be required to live at Muran Castle, well away from Wiltshire, and will receive one quarter of their former fortune The remainder will go to war debts and reconstruction.

Potter will marry Pansy Parkinson and they will live in the Potter house in Godfrey's Hollow.

Engagements will be announced as soon as possible."

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It was a very subdued group nthat gathered together in a large room in Azkaban. The Warden, the Malfoys, the Parkinsons, the Bulstrodes, Potter, Granger, Weasley, and the Wizarding World News crew. None of them were happy, the Weasleys most of all, Ron looked particularly murderous. But he had promised to behave. Potter and Granger were dressed in their finest robes. The Malfoys and the Parkinson's were similarly dressed. A red light blinked on and Minister Shacklebolt stepped forward, schooling his face into a smile.

"We are gathered here to begin the process of reconciliation between our two sides." He looked to his right, where the Malfoy's stood, and grimaced. Just slightly, not enough for the camera to pick it up, but we could see it. If we looked for it. "Will Mr. Draco Lucius Malfoy step forward?" Draco did so, a thunderous look, mixed with apprehension, on his face. Will you promise to take Hermione Jean Granger to be your lawful wedded wife. On the day following the completion of your Hogwarts education.

"I will." The voice was sullen angry.

"Miss Hermione Granger," here Minister shacklebolt turned to the Muggle Born his face softening. "Will you promise to take Draco Lucius Malfoy as your husband. To marry on the day after the completion of  
your Hogwarts education?"

"I will." Granger was as equally reluctant as her espoused was.

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"What are you doing here," she spat as I entered the room.

"I'm here to offer you you're only chance of getting out of here"

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Eights months three days and four hours later I stood on the Hogwarts lawn and applauded as Minister Shackledbolt declared Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger to be man and wife. Harry and Pansy Potter stood at the foot of the dais stairs while five other couples waited to climb them. After the engagement many of the Pure Bloods had started to trickle back. They were the ones who were least opposed to Pure Blood Muggle Born relations but with the easing of the marriage restrictions there was optimism that more would return, and even if they didn't Wizarding Britain had a better chance of surviving than it had before.

Beside me, Sheila Jackson, my reluctant bride, stood fuming.


End file.
